So as many of you might recall, I lost my phone on 30th Dec 2011. So for the past 2 months I had been going around with an iPhone 3GS that my cousin lent me. I am super thankful she had the spare set to lend me, but I needed a decent camera. badly. the 3GS was good for everything, except the camera was really not as good (esp after I've had the 4's), but I don't exactly have a pro digital camera lying around anyway. plus I can't tweet/instagram/path from that too.

and thus, I was convinced I need the 4S. after an unsuccessful attempt at starhub to sign for one, its time to look on to HWZ..

So i looked and looked and found some promising ones. I contacted a seller who is offering a 2month old black iphone 4s 16gb for $800. The retail from apple store is $938 for 16gb. So I made plans to meet with him on Sat night at 8.30pm at ION, after watching a colleague's gig there. But I texted thrice after 8.30pm and called once at 9pm.. and no reply. It was a no show. The sense of disappointment was so huge, to be stood up by an iPhone seller!

So I went home, sadface and all, and looked on HWZ some more. Too late to SMS people though, so I left it for Sunday. Then on Sun morning, that black iphone seller got back to me and said his phone batt died so he couldn't deal! Offered to meet me wherever is convenient for me to deal that day, and sounded sincere so I replied ok, 3.30 at bishan since I was at my friend's house playing a board game after lunch.

Guess what. At 3.15pm he texted me again to say he found parts of the iphone screen unresponsive, thus he will have to bring it in to singtel to have a look, but said I am welcome to let him know if I am still interested after that.

!@)#)!)!)@!~)#*

Of course I said not interested, thanks. WOW can you believe that douchebag of a guy?! He probably changed his mind about the deal or got a higher bidder so he decided to stand me up AGAIN using a lousy excuse! I was so pissed off!

So anyway. I calmed down, went for coffee, and then home. Went home and back on HWZ and texted a guy who is selling a brand new set (receipt dated 24 feb) for $850. MTLBBB.

That guy immediately replied to say yes phone still avail can deal tonight. So i asked if we can deal like.. NOW, cos I've got cash on me. Amazingly he replied back and said no problem, and we set the place to meet. And I went to meet him. Everything was fine, it was a genuine set with receipt, box and even a starhub paper bag.

So on that fateful evening of 27 Feb 2012, I bought the new iPhone 4s.

You might not realize it, but the iphone screen is SO clear.. and the photos are SO amazing. I am in love all over again with the iPhone.

Expect me to be back with a vengeance with more blog posts, more twitpics, instagrams and more path pics!

Do you know that 300 children die from malnutrition every hour of a day? According to the new report "A Life Free from Hunger: Tackling Child Malnutrition," by Save The Children, a non-governmental organisation, 1 in 4 children are affected globally by chronic malnutrition, which is largely a hidden crisis because it is not obvious until it is too late. 450 million children are currently at risk of stunted growth because they simply did not get enough nutrients when growing up.

So, "think of all the starving children in ______________(insert developing country's name)" is in fact a very real issue.

I got to know all these shocking statistics when I was invited to the media event organised by Save The Children last Wednesday 15 February 2012 when there is a global release of their report, along with a tweetchat with experts around the topic of #hiddencrisis. The lunch event was held at the Asian Food Channel studio at Orchard Central to launch the report, as well as have some industry experts discuss about the issue in a panel. Sarah Tan from 987fm did a short intro, with Soo Kui Jien as the host for the event.

Through this event, Save The Children aims to influence policymakers to put this in the ASEAN agenda next time as well as raise awareness of their work right in affluent Singapore. Just because we are living comfortably doesn't mean that there are no development issues and work that needs to be done on this.

Maria Brown, co-founder and CEO of the Asian Food Channel, also gave an interesting anecdote about how they recently did a feature on obesity in America, where the people there are very fat but in fact also malnourished because their body is not getting enough nutrients! So I guess that is a real "first world problem".

In other parts of the world, for example, hunger is staved off with Plumpy'nut peanut paste. Looks really intriguing and not exactly appetising, but this little packet has done wonders for starving children.

The aim of the report is to expose the truth that world hunger, especially in children, is a very serious issue because when children under 5 are malnourished, they are stunted for life. This in turn affects the society and the country with future problems.

There was also a media panel with Kui Jien, Chef Khaled, Gladys Wong, chief dietician at KTPH, Andrew Powell, consultant in agriculture biotechnology and communications and Michel Anglade, Asia Director of Campaigns and Advocacy for STC (not pictured below).

An interesting answer to Maria's question on which countries are performing well in tackling this issue from Michel is that China and Vietnam in Asia had been the most successful while Rwanda and Kenya in Africa are doing well too. However in places like India they are not doing so well.

And finally, lunch was served! And tadah! A small scoop of white rice, 26 peas and some strands of lightly flavoured cabbage. Apparently this is what a typical child in a developing world eats, though in this case it is prepared by a chef. Of course it is not enough when you compare it to a normal diet!

The 'lunch' was actually quite tasty and super healthy -- but you must imagine that in places like India or Pakistan, they probably don't even have peas and the rice will be drenched in some watery curry, with a few soggy pieces of cabbage or cauliflower. Perhaps the food itself will also be not very sanitary or have been kept for a few days.

It might sound very Miss Universe, but I believe World Hunger is actually one of the issues that CAN be solved with some cooperation from the government as well as the public support. We start small, and aim to feed the children first - because they are the most innocent sufferers to poverty and injustice. Breastfeeding should be encouraged and more education done to inculcate the benefits. I feel that food distribution is also one of the easier targets -- it's not as if there is not enough food to feed the world, but because ways of transport and distributing them are warped! You have people dying from hunger, and warehouses filled with rotting food. The food that is produced in the world is also not utilized properly if people have no knowledge of basic nutrition needs.

Then there are improvements in technology to make food production more efficient (though it raises the whole debate on genetically modified seeds and that is evil too). All these can be achieved if world leaders spare some consideration to this largely hidden crisis since the children are not able to cry out for help, and if trade and political differences are put aside for them.

Please share this post with your friends to inform them about World Hunger, because it is a hidden crisis that needs more exposure. For those who want to help, you can write in to

Accidentally visited one of the places that I've been eyeing during lunchtime last week when Karen suggested that we head to Maison Ikkoku for lunch and some light work discussion. This place is surprisingly near to our office at Lavender since it is located at the hip and trendy Haji Lane / Bugis district.

Apparently a google Wikipedia showed that "Maison Ikkoku" is originally a Japanese manga written in the 80s.

Now I wonder what's the link between that and this cafe.

Speaking of the cafe though, it is a very pleasant one. I like it when walking in already. It is in one of the shophouses, and has a very "deep" layout. This shot is literally what you see of the place.

Their 2-page menu comprised of Sandwiches, Salads, Speciality Items, Home-made Cakes and Coffee. You can have a look at the items and price yourself, most of it seems quite fair! Also, they have a "mi spam musubi" and "mi pork bun kong bak pau" which sounds really intriguing!

A whole page was dedicated to their coffees, and their apparatuses seem to suggest that they are connoisseurs! Or at least, enthusiasts.

Karen however had their Lemon Camomile tea ($5), served in very nice transparent pot and cup. Look at the bent spoon! Haha. Rather extra since you don't need sugar with this tea.. but a whimsical touch.

It's a pity we are not coffee connoisseurs.. But I had a decaf Latte ($5). It's very nice.

The main aim of this lunch (other than our very fruitful work discussion of course) is the sandwiches! Time for something different from the Smiling Orchid diet, really. There is only so many times one can eat from our canteen on the 11th floor. Or opposite at the JTC canteen.

Karen ordered the Norwegian Smoked Salmon and Dill Sour Cream sandwich ($13.90)! According to her it is pretty darn good, very juicy. Probably how you would imagine the photo below to taste!

I had the spicy chicken and cheddar. Other than the fact that it's slightly wet with chili or olive oil, it was a very flavourful sandwich, and rather satisfying as well. That's something to be said for a sandwich, as some are merely appetizers. But this is a full meal by itself. Rather enjoyed the side salad too, it had a really interesting tasting dressing. It's a unique one.

Great for coffee lovers and people wanting a good hearty sandwich, this place has a high 'chillable' index since it's right in the heart of indieland. Deffo a place to bookmark next time you want to rest your feet or have a inspiring place to do some brainstorming!

Spotted - newly set up french restaurant La Maison Fatien in the Tanjong Pagar area which is fast becoming a European quartier, what with L'Entrecote and spanish tapas restaurant, amidst other cool digs such as The Pigeonhole, Group Therapy, the Wok & Barrel, Buyan and the super nice Jap bakery Flor. Their name sounds strangely chinese, like a brother to Putien Restaurant, but no it is pronounced "fa-tee-an" and it is french.

Fatien is situated almost right opposite the Pigeonhole/Celina's and the entrance is quite dimly lit. Too bad I don't have any pictures of the interior as my phone sucks, so I only had photos I took of the food using Scott's lovely iPhone 4S. You can view more of their photos on their well-designed website.

The first level is where they sell their wines and display them while the restaurant is situated on the 2nd floor. I quite liked the decor, it was very intimate and in a cosy french style with vintage french posters on the wall. Perhaps it was the diners too but the noise level of the place despite the size of shophouse was very tolerable and there is no greasy food smell inside. +1 and +1 !

It was super fun to catch up with my uni friends for a nice night of good food and wine. Gabby was actually the one who suggested the place -- apparently it was covered by the Sunday Times just not long ago. The restaurant was 95% filled by 8pm too, perhaps also due to the coverage. Strangely, there was quite a few wait staff hovering about - this is perhaps the first time I've seen so many wait staff per table but overstaffing is good because our water were always filled and plates cleared swiftly. They were also very friendly and Singaporean, which is always a plus point.

We ordered a Pinot Noir ($80) tagged with its own unique number of 383 out of 1910 bottles. It is made from this restaurant's own vineyard in the Burgundy region of France. A restaurant that also has their own wine? Special! Even for a wine waster like me, I must say it was a very palatable and light wine that goes down smoothly.

Next, some good old baguette and butter to start off the meal. Quite good but the bread was not as remarkable as Bistro du Vin's.

Next, the gang ordered 2 starters. The escargots with garlic butter ($12) was alright but it could do with more garlic. The escargots were not really infused with anything much. Skip it!

Next up, a very classic french starter, Salade de Chèvre Chaud ($15) - Warm goat cheese on crusty toast and mesclun salad. Really liked the goat cheese even if its a bit strong. Yum.

So we all ordered different mains among the four of us. First is Gabby's choice - the Confit de Canard ($28) - a staple in French restaurants in Singapore. If the duck confit is missing, then it is not a french restaurant, they might think. The meat was a tad dry but that's quite normal. The flavour was rich and the skin looked quite well done. The "sarladaise" potatoes were very delicious too, you can taste a bit of the charred flavour.

Next is Scott's dish - the Chef's special that will change every Thursday. For this week it is the Mussels with White Wine and Thick Cut Fries ($26).

Unfortunately because I am not a big fan of shellfish, I did not try it. But everyone's feedback was it is very good. The white wine sauce at the end of the pot was also thick and almost creamy looking.

Nette's dish is the Bavette à l’échalotte ($22) which is grilled flank steak, caramelized shallot and French fries (hurhur, french..). You can see here it is medium rare, and covered with shallots! I felt that the steak was a bit too chewy compared to your regular sirloin, or perhaps I had the tendon part. The shallot gravy was a bit bitter for some reason too. Generally OK though not remarkable. Give it a miss if you were to try something on the menu and perhaps the other beef dish, the steak au poivre might do better.

Finally, my dish was the biggest surprise of the lot. The côte de porc "charcutière" ($22) which is of roasted pork chop, potato purée and "charcutière" sauce. We were debating between the lamb shank and the steak, then Nette picked the steak and I decided to go on a wild guess and pick the pork because the lamb shank was accompanied with roasted roots vegetables in red wine sauce. I guess I've been to enough restaurants now to recognize what sort of sides I want with the mains as well as how 'heavy' in taste they will be, so I now tend to avoid fries (cos I can never finish them), and red wine anything cos it will generally be too salty or heavy.

That's why the mashed potatoes was perfect because it is usually lightly salted only and acts as a good base for the meat. This one was as good as Bistro du Vin's, very fine and the potato's flavor was very fragrant.

Of the meat itself, well the gravy was really good and that created a very interesting party in my mouth because the gravy is slightly tangy and it brought out the sweetness of the pork which was quite tender yet firm, almost like chicken breast meat. I believe they used tomatoes in the gravy. I could not stop myself from finishing the pork, it was that good.

If there is ONE dish you have to order in this place, I would say go for the pork!

Overall, this restaurant is not exactly ridiculous in their pricing, in the $25 range or so for mains. For the four of us, 2 starters and 4 mains plus a bottle of wine equates to about $60 a person. Yes it comes up to quite a bit but I don't feel like I got cheated or anything since the service, ambience and food was all satisfactory. You can view their menu here [PDF]. I wouldn't exactly have the wine there though since it was overpriced for most (ascertained by the wine geek my brother). A shocker - their Laurent Perrier Grand Siècle was $600 for a bottle. C'etait fou!

I am also going to try out a new "rating system" suggested by Ben. From now on, my reviews will have a yes, no or neutral at the end so you will know whether or not to visit it. Unlike a certain food blogger I will not want to write about food just for the sake of pretty photos (ahem). We concluded a 1-10 scale is not going to work since there is no diff between a 7 or a 8, let's say. Most of the reviews on this blog will have a thumbs up because I won't usually put up substandard food, but hey the thumbs down can appear if I get pissed off enough to rant about them on my blog. Neutral means there might be inconsistency or they are still swinging between good or bad, so wait it out and also take your chance with them.

"Date night perfect, c'est un bon restaurant francaise. Be one of the first in Singapore to try La Maison "Fa-tee-an", go on!"

Jan 2017 update: I had an old post originally here since 2012 on repairing your iPhone home button in Hougang and Sim Lim, but I have since found a place in Sim Lim that I can recommend with the utmost confidence, so I've deleted the previous entry to replace with this one.

I found Atomware Singapore by googling for "iphone repair singapore" and it was in the first page. I had a faulty Bluetooth/WIFI antenna in my iPhone 6 (secondhand) that was there since day one but I was too lazy to fix. A random quote by a shop in AMK Central said it will cost me $110 and one full day to fix. I can't deal with that. So after coming back from Bintan recently (where my phone totally did not pick up any wifi signals at all despite my friend's and my iPad doing so), I decided to google and search properly.

Turns out it was just S$45 and 20 mins to fix, and it worked perfectly after that. The shop specialises in iPhone repairs and has close to 60k likes on their FB Page, with loads of my techie friends liking it. That's why I decided to message them on Facebook for a quote (and got a reply within 2 hours!).

'Scuse me guys, while I go into some girly blogging. Feel free to skip this post as it is completely irrelevant for you. Regular food porn will be up soon enough.

Here's a five-in-one post about makeup and beauty for the girls! instead. So amidst all the food stuff, I thought I'll also share on this blog some of the drugstore products that I own that I quite liked after a while. The beauty of this is all of it came from your regular drugstores - watsons, guardians so they are very easy to purchase and it's relatively inexpensive.

From left:

1. Revlon ColorStay Makeup with SoftFlex SPF 6 Liquid Foundation

This is super highly raved on MakeupAlley (no. 8 of top 10 most reviewed on MUA) and there is a reason why. Can't remember the price, but should also be around the $20-25 range? The coverage is very good because it evens out your skin perfect and it is easy to apply, though the pour out bottle and the plasticky smell are the only 2 things I don't like. Its staying power is also very strong. In fact this is an industrial strength liquid foundation, I would say. You will definitely need a good makeup remover for this too because I found that even with water + soap + scrubbing on my hand the stuff doesn't come off. Good for clubbing/dinners, not so good for everyday wear!

For lighter coverage though still wanting to even out the skin I use the Skin79 BB cream. I only purchased it recently in December, but so far it worked quite well the few times I wear it. The cream is slightly sticky and in a greyish light shade when you apply it to your face but after a while it will dry out and be powdery, and also adjust to your skin tone magically.

I also really like the hot pink packaging. The one I have is in the smallest size because I wanted to try it out first. I think it was around $20+ or 19.90. Not too expensive!

Here's also a great video by one of my fav. makeup gurus Jen on Youtube (she's korean american, so pretty!).

I was using Essential hair serum before but found this a much better alternative. The peach scent is very pleasant and I like how it is a mixture of oil and other things to smooth out my frizz. People who know me know that I have rather boomz hair. I use this in the morning before I step out of the house. I do think its power is not that long lasting, though that's usually because I skip on the hair conditioner the night before so during midday my hair goes back to its rebellious frizz again.

I might however, try out the Mythic Oil that was reviewed on tanchristine.com after I am done with this bottle since it looks quite amazing as well!

One drop locks up an ocean. I own a gazillion million oceans then. It was highly recommended by Scott to us before, and I bought it on an impulse because I sometimes get flaky dry skin on my face. Turns out it is a great buy indeed! I like it because it is very very light - like putting water on your face. In Singapore's weather it is quite impossible to use creams or lotions as moisturiser. Also because my face is oily combination, the heavier stuff seems too much to stand on my face. This one however feels like it is readily absorbed whenever I apply after a shower. Pat pat here, pat pat there. Done!

5. Bioré Cleansing Oil-in-Cotton

I've first seen some blogs doing advertorials for them so I've decided to go buy some and try too. Turns out it's the best thing I've ever done because this product is so good! I used to have some Simple makeup remover sheets which is really useless, then I just used my L'Oreal eye makeup remover for eyes and face will just be my cleanser, which of course is definitely not enough if you are using waterproof makeup, especially for the face. I'm talking about industrial strength liquid foundations, eyelash glue, waterproof eyeliner.. all these are removed in a few swipes with the super moist wet wipe. It feels very satisfying to see all your makeup appear on the wipe actually. Definitely gonna repurchase the refill pack once I am done with this box!

So there you go. My drugstore beauty recommendations! Let me know if you decide to try any of them out!

About me

Welcome to my blog

I'm Alexis Cheong - A Singapore food and lifestyle blogger. Passionate about good food, travel and beauty or gadgets. This blog is a place where I want to share all the things I love with over 17,700 views per month. Feel free to contact me to say hello or find out how we can collaborate.